Chapter 8

Bhishma set up IES as a company. Surya Hari and representatives from the other funding agencies joined as board members of the company.

After having set up the company, he went about building a team systematically. To support him in technology, he got Ramesh Gupta. Ramesh had outstanding academic credentials and familiarity with large IT systems. Ramesh also brought in two managers Mukund Mehta and Shashank Goudar to support him in IT.

Sajjan Kapoor joined him as head of corporate affairs. He had excellent experience as a compliance person. He was good at making sure that various compliance requirements were met, books are kept properly and the day-to-day administration was efficient. But he was bereft of any new ideas. He was good at playing politics. He knew how to play on against the other. His colleagues used to call him ‘Tuglak’ for his policy of ‘divide and rule’.

In fact this shift for him could not have come at a better time. In his previous organisation where he worked he had almost got into a scam in his role of credit assessment. Many people believed that he was not an accidental victim. He was not a shamelessly corrupt person. He did not mind some presents in kind so long as it was discreet. In this case he had given a loose definition of gift. More so he was willing to close his eyes on the potential credit risk of the borrower. The evidence was week. He went up to his boss and pleaded to let him off. His boss relented. He asked him to leave quietly. Therefore this offer by Bhishma was really a godsend opportunity for him.

  

In the second tier as operating managers, he got Udhi Srinivas, Arjun Kumar Vidur Ranavekar, Ramaswami and Gopalakrishna.

Bhishma focused on the strategic priorities and took major strategic decisions. He gave clear directions and timely decisions which the team was conscientious in implementation.

Bhishma believed in building a team and building consensus. So he established a practice of weekly meeting with his senior team. They met every Friday evening. In this meeting they discussed the progress during the past week and identified priorities for the oncoming week.

It was a month onto the project. Bhishma was ready for the product launch. He decided to discuss it in the weekly meeting. Bhishma was in few minutes early. The team members were trickling in one by one. Those who came in sat quietly.

Bhishma looked around. They were still operating out of NUPS office. So it was in the NUPS board room that they met.

“It is time to think about our own office. He thought. But let the product launch happen. Then we will decide.” He mused.

“This board room is too gaudy for my taste. When we have our office it should be sober. May be I should take some help from Surabhi” He was letting his mind wander a bit.

At exactly 4 pm and he was ready to start the meeting. All the team members were already in.

“I would like us to discuss our plan for the product launch” He moved onto the business for the day after everybody settled down and finished with their pleasantries

“Sir we are nowhere ready for the launch. The development team has just completed the solution architecture” Ramesh was quick to butt in. He sounded and appeared agitated and concerned. His large eyes were larger with excitement

“The development team from Maximus Software Services (MSS) will take at least eight months for the development of all the functionalities. Shashank is already coordinating the development and the interface with the business team” Ramesh continued.

“Sir the business team is yet to give the sign of for the details System Requirement Specification submitted by MSS.” Shashank had made his point.

“Sir we have given the full functional specification. MSS has translated this to detailed SRS which is the foundation for development. It is the systems team who should review this in details and sign off. We can also look at it whether the FS is covered adequately” Ramaswami objected.

“I don’t agree with it” Shashank was quick to retort

“I agree with Shashank. But I am willing to debate this and come to a solution that is acceptable to both teams” Ramesh commented. “But there are many more challenges. Sir after the development we need to have a full fledged testing of the software; both by business team and by the systems team” Ramesh continued.

“MSS has requested that we give them the full test conditions before they start coding. As far as I know the business team has not started this yet”

“Yes. Yes” Shashank had more to add. “Sir Test conditions...”

“Wait a second” Bhishma interjected with his stern and gentle voice. As per you Ramesh, when do think we can launch.

“Fifteen months minimum” Ramesh replied carefully

Sajjan Kapoor looked at Vidur and sniggered. Though he did not understand the import of the discussion relating to software development he pretended that he was following everything.

“We should launch IES solution in six months” Bhishma said decisively.

“Sajjan please plan the launch ceremony. Minister of Education Shwetambaran has agreed to attend our launch.”

“But sir, we cannot get the full product out in six months” Ramesh said. He sounded helpless and agitated. His eyes which were naturally large were now bulging further. His voice was developing edginess.  

“Ramesh, Don’t get agitated” Bhishma spoke gently and reassuringly. “I am not suggesting that we launch the full product in six months. I know it would not be possible to get all the features in and also launch the product soon. I am suggesting a strategy of phased Implementation. This would also help us to test the product and get feedback from the real users which could in turn help to refine the product.

“That is a fantastic idea” Ramaswami blurted out excitedly.

“Sir in that kind of a scenario we will need a little help from you to get necessary cabling from the Indraprasta Telephones for the bandwidth” Mukund had to say something to feel important.

“Yes Mukund you need to help yourself first” Bhishma replied. You go and meet the General Manager personally and explain your need. If you still have a problem let me know”

Sajjan looked at Vidur and sniggered again

They proceeded as usual to sharing the progress of the project. Meeting got dispersed by 6 pm.

Chapter 7

Surya Hari had great ambitions for NUPS. He wanted this to become an empire that would straddle the complete gamut of everything related to education. When he heard about Bhishma’s new plans, he decided that he wanted to rope him to his dreams.

One evening he dropped into Bhishma’s house unannounced.

He pressed the calling bell. He could hear the chime coming from somewhere deep in the house.

The door was opened by Surabhi.

“Good evening Surya” She welcomed him with an open smile. “What a great surprise”

He walked with her to the sitting room

“The new arrangement in the sitting room is as gracious as always. Aha a new bonsai arrangement. I can’t but feel jealous of Bhishu for having such a creative and artistic wife” Surya was full of praise.

“Surya seems to have some agenda” She mused. “Else he won’t be in such a mood to praise”

“Bhishu, see who has come” she called out aloud.

Bhishu walked in from his study wearing a blue jeans and a white T Shirt

“Oh Hi, Surya. Good to see you. You caught us at the right time. We were just getting out for a walk” Bhishu said

“That is called destiny my friend. I was in the neighbourhood and decided to try my luck” Surya replied

“Bhishu you look 10 years younger. May be because you are no more a bureaucrat” Surya continued

Surabhi smiled benevolently. “He really wants something.” She thought “Today he is generous with his praises”

  “Shall I get a coffee for you guys” Surabhi asked. “I am going to have one anyway”

“Good idea. I am ready for a coffee” Surya replied

Surya sat on the comfortable white sofa. Bhishu reclined on the diwan.

“How is your new project Bhishma?” Surya asked

Bhishma was happy to discuss his ideas on IES.

“Bhishu, NUPS will be too happy to provide any kind of support you will need for this venture. We can fund the whole project or a major part of it” He offered

“I will also give you the necessary administrative support. You can kick off the project from the premises of NUPS” Surya Hari continued.

“I am very happy with your offer. I intend to start the activities soon. If you don’t mind, give me few rooms at NUPS to kick-start my project.”Bhishma replied

“I am happy that you are willing to participate in funding of this project. My dream is to have an ownership structure that is widely distributed. Few banks have already expressed their interest. The holding company of NUPD can also have 10% of the equity.”

There was a flash of disappointment in the eyes of Surya. But he replied with a charming smile.

“OK this is a deal”

“How are the kiddos doing?”

“Sumati has got admission into Harvard Business School. Sujit is still in his grad School” Surabhi said

“Wow. Brilliant.  You are really a blessed couple”

“I don’t want to hold you lovebirds from your nice evening walk at the park”  Surya got up from his chair.

“How is Sunitha’s business these days?” Surabhi asked as she also got up.

“Oh she is a busy business woman first and then wife” Surya replied with a sardonic smile as they all got into the lift.

Surya got into his car and Bhishma and Surabhi turned towards the beachfront promenade. The promenade was a wonderful place for an evening walk. This extended about six kilometres and covered the northern tip of Indrapuram the capital of Indraprasta. The northern tip of Indrapuram was shaped live a wedge and extended in to the sea. One side of the wedge was the port and the other side the promenade extending all the way to the end of the wedge that merged to the mainland. For a long stretch the seaside next to the promenade had nice and sandy beach.  Then it was rocky all the way to the mainland. The promenade had beautiful flower beds filled with a large variety of flowers. These flowers were interspersed with nice grass patches where people could stretch and relax enjoying the beauty around.

The skyscraper that housed Bhishu’s flat was at the point near where the beach ended and the rocks started.

“It was surprising that Surya walked in without announcing” Surabhi commented as they started their walk along the promenade.

‘Hum” Bhishu replied

Surabhi realised that he is deep in thought. Anyway they preferred to do the walk in silence.

After few minutes, they picked up speed. As usual they completed their one hour walk covering about seven kilometres. Now they were back to the point of exit from the promenade towards their house.

“Come let us sit down at the beach for sometime” Bhishu suggested

They walked along picked up a Coffee from Beachfront Starbucks and walked over to the beach.

“What do you think about Surya’s suggestion” Surabhi brought up the topic of evening conversation.

Bhishma decided that it was a good idea to debate a bit on that.

“You know Surabhi, NUPS today has done well. Surya is a capable administrator and he definitely played a key role in getting this up and running though the vision and dream arose from the brilliant brain of Dr V.” Bhishu said

“There is no doubt about that. But you know what his ambition is and where he would try to take NUPS once the dear Dr is out”

“It certainly makes sense for IES to have a strategic relationship with NUPS. It can build on the e-Learning module for college students that is linked to the NUPS curriculum and degree. Once the brand of IES builds up and large number of students finish their school using  IES way of learning, this could be  the way in which they can move over and do their college education” Bhishu noted.

“But NUPS is only for post graduation and research” Surabhi pointed out.

“That is today. Even if they continue in that fashion, I am sure they will partner with IES to build an online under grad courses that could help the regular graduates to up their standards in parallel so that they have a better chance in getting in NUPS.”

“Like everything else the education is also going online. The power of computing and connectivity is going to transform the field of education too. IES will make it possible for students from all types of colleges to benefit from the knowledge base being built up at NUPS. It will enable a larger cross section of students to aspire and compete to join NUPS. The geography is no more a restriction. The student from the small town can have the same opportunity as the student from big cities. It is not just the access; it is also the cost of access that IES will break down” Bhishma continued. He was looking far ahead. Surabhi knew he was no looking at the horizon; but seeing the future as it unfolds.

“Strategic tie –up may make senses. Strategic control is a no-no. He is like the camel. Once you give him headroom he will muzzle his way in”

“I know he will try. I believe that I would be able to contain him” Bhishu replied.

Bhishu got up. Surabhi realised that Bhishu would like to leave the discussion for now.

She also got up and walked back to their house.

***

To be continued

Chapter 6

Surya was happy that the Management School has been well accepted. He knew this is something that can be built upon.  But he was not so amused with the limelight that Shravan was getting. So he did not want to leave the reins completely to Shravan.

Surya was a shrewd strategist. He went about working on both the issues slowly and steadily.

One day he walked across to Dr Vishveshvarayya’s room

“It is heartening to see that our management school is now well recognised. I am sure this name will help us attract their interest in our other courses too” He said.

“Good that you brought about the subject. I was planning have a chat with you on this” Dr Vishvesvarayya replied.

“Some days ago Shravan had s come up to me with an idea which I thought was worth considering” He continued

Surya stiffened.

“The old man appears to be enamoured by this young upstart. Agree that the idea of Management School clicked. But it happened only because of the support I gave. That does not mean that it should become the launching pad for Shravan” Surya mused.

But he did not show any reaction on his face. He listened attentively.

“Shravan suggested that we should establish management schools at other locations.”

“OK that is an idea. But it will need enormous resources to set up campuses and at this point we do not have the funds for it” He replied

“That is the beauty of his idea. He suggests that we select few well running institutions and have a tie up with them. The Government anyway is not giving permission to set up many management colleges. They are slow to recognize any new idea anyway. So in the meantime we could have the satellite campuses at select few colleges. We can have strong selection criteria for choosing our partners. We can persuade government against permitting other colleges for some more time. In the meantime we can establish our national presence with no investment. On the other hand we can have some nice cash flow as royalty and security deposit” Chairman gave a quick summary of the idea Shravan had put forward.

Surya realised that it made sense. He also knew that he it has the potential to leapfrog Shraven to a more commanding position within NUPS and out in the industry. He wanted to reap the fruits of Shraven’s idea; but not give an opportunity to Shravan to build on in it further.

“That is a good idea. I think it is worth taking it forward” Surya observed.

Dr Vishveshvarayya felt relieved. He was not sure how Surya would react.

“Ok let us ask Shravan to go into implementation mode” Dr suggested.

“Oh I would like to see it in a different perspective” Surya interjected.

“Now what” Dr mused. “Surya will come with a new twist in anything”

“Sir, Shravan is overloaded and we cannot ask him to take this also” Surya said

“But he has presented me an excellent implementation plan”

“OK we can definitely look at it and we can even make use of it if it is good”

“Shraven will be upset and this may dampen his motivations”

“May be he will be. We need to explain to him. He cannot expect exclusivity in any project”

“But it was he who conceived it and demonstrated the feasibility in spite of opposition from most of us”

 “Just because a man fathered his baby we can’t expect him to be the one guiding him in his Ph D program”

“But in this case the father is qualified to be his Ph D guide”

“We can definitely appreciate that. But we have to be prudent. We can’t have the success of the whole program pivoted on one individual” Surya started to spin his argument.  Once he developed an idea and conceived a strategy he could spin his argument with such force, logic and persuasion, it would be difficult for anybody to stop him.

“We need to develop our team and we need to be sure that all aspects of the implementation is adequately covered. My thoughts are as follows. We will make Somesh responsible for this expansion project” Surya continued.

“But he is our legal and corporate affairs person” Dr V raised his concern

“Yes Somesh had joined the team as a legal and corporate affairs person. However he has a keen interest in the business of NUPS.  He is an avid reader. In the recent past he has been reading books and journals relating to the field of education, has attended seminars and has been thinking extensively about issues and challenges in this area. He frequently comes to me with interesting ideas and often has sensible advice. Plus as he has a strong legal background he will be able to negotiate and conclude strong contracts with each of the potential partners. You see we are going the partnership rout. Any partnership has potential to sour. Therefore it is imperative to ensure that we have a contract that will protect our interest in case of such eventuality.” Surya built his case strongly.

“Further I suggest that Rani is made responsible for the curriculum and study material for these partnerships. We cannot use the same format as we use here at the institute. We need to develop suitable material for the students as well as total on boarding kit for the partner entities.” Surya was making sure that the other two was with him when he cut Shravan to size. 

Dr. V realised Surya’s game plan. But he did not have arguments to match Surya’s logic and even more his powerful articulation. He did not want to veto Surya. He wanted to see the institute succeeding and matching his dream before he retired.

 “Ok I leave it to you” Dr V conceded.

“I knew you would appreciate my strategy” He bowed with utmost grace which was more an act than an expression of his respect to Dr V

Chapter 5

During this tenure at the ministry, Surya met Dr Vishvesvarayya who was an educationalist of international repute. He had brilliant ideas on how the education system in Indraprasta could be transformed. He had conceived an idea to set up a national university primarily focused on research in Science and Technology. It would have a number of affiliated colleges that would offer post graduation and doctoral programs. He was able to get the technical support from one of the reputed universities from US, the Stanford University. He was able to convince the government of the national importance of such a university to get all the clearances fast. This university was christened as the National University for Progressive Sciences (NUPS)

Surya Hari was result oriented. He knew that any idea was meaningful only if it was implemented properly. He put together crack team to manage the project of setting up NUPS. The senior members of the team were Rani, Somesh and Shravan.

Rani was in charge of Academic Affairs. She was a Ph D holder in Education from a top university in Indraprasta. She had about 15 years experience in the field of education. She had a charming demeanour and a heart of steel. She was also a very good administrator. With is single minded focus on her career, she did not marry for a long time. Subsequently, she was enamoured by Somjit who ran an NGO doing work among the tribal community. Soon she realised that she was not fit to be a family person and her marriage to Somjit ended up in a divorce. But she was only too happy to have the custody of her child and bring her up as a single mother.

Somesh was in charge of legal affairs. A highly qualified lawyer with an additional qualification in Corporate Secretarial functions Somesh took care of the corporate affairs and administration efficiently.

Shravan was a graduate in Engineering and a Post graduate in management. He hailed from lower middle class background. But he was brilliant student and managed to get admission to top engineering and subsequently to a top management school. After graduating he had joined the ministry of education and had the opportunity to work under Dr Vishvesvarayya. It was there that he was spotted for his brilliance and hard work. So he was picked up as a part of the start-up team for NUPS. He was responsible for the total infrastructure including information systems.

Within one year they had the university up and running against the apprehensions raised by many. These critics believed that a team with no prior experience in running any business venture before would not be nimble-footed enough to set up a university let alone run it. Surya Hari’s political connections helped him to get the licences fast. His crack team did a wonderful job of getting the project up and running in double quick time.

To begin with, they set up a college that offered Post Graduate and Ph D program in physics and chemistry. The labs were outstanding and the syllabus was of international standard. They were able to attract some very motivated and brilliant faculty members who took up variety of research projects. But the student enrolment was not as much as expected.

***

Dr Vishvesvarayya called for an internal brainstorming on how to increase the acceptance and popularity for the school among the public. Shravan was a person with a keen sense for business. So he was the first to volunteer his idea.

“Sir I believe we should have a strategy to build a brand name for NUPS and it should get associated to be a place that is most sought after” Shravan pointed out.

“Of Course that is why we are here” Rani quipped

“I think we should have a full-fledged advertising campaign about NUPS. We should also try to work with government to see if we can get our degree some premium compared to the regular universities.” Rani continued.

“May be we would approach the Ministry of Human Resources to declare that our Master’s program in Physics and Chemistry are equivalent to Master’s Program in Electronics and Chemical Engineering” Rani went onto elaborating her idea.

“Sir I have a different view” Shravan interjected. “We should offer some courses that have high demand in the market like Management. Though this is a little divergent from being focused on science and technology, this course will definitely complement the main programs.”

“I think it is complete dilution of our vision.” Rani almost burst out. She was miffed that this upstart Shravan with no experience in education sector should even open his mouth at a discussion like this. “And see what he comes up with. By suggesting this MBA he is diluting the spirit of NUPS. What does he think we are setting up?”

“Sir these two year program in management is a far cry from scientific institution we are setting up. The focus and attention will get completely diverted.” Rani was boiling.

“Sir Management is the art of making the science possible; possible to establish; possible to sustain and possible to survive. It will be a complement to the technical education. Many world renowned technical schools are introducing this in their offering. I believe that we should show leadership in this in our country. Once we get acceptance for this course and establish a name for ourselves naturally other courses will become attractive” Shravan was defending his idea.

“It is worth a try. Take it as a small project that Shravan can drive” Dr. Vishvesvarayya agreed.

Rani was boiling inside. “Dr Vishvesvarayya has a soft corner for this upstart. He let him try any of his nonsense ideas” She mused

She threw a sideways glance at Surya. He was quite. He sat there with a wooden face.  It was difficult to fathom what he thought about.

“Shravan seem to be the pet of the Chairman and he seems to get any of his fancy ideas approved by him. I need to develop a powerful ally. The option for me is Surya.”

All of them got up to leave the room. Surya was in front and he walked along the long corridor towards the cafeteria instead of walking into his cabin which was next to the cabin of Dr Vishvesvarayya.

In his mind he was thinking hard about the idea Shravan suggested. He knew Shravan was a bright fellow his ideas often made sense. But he was not sure how it merged with the NUPS vision.

His brain was churning. This was a new development and he wanted to weigh the pros and cons of this and develop a strategy that suited his purpose.

As usual when he had some thoughts the bugged and he felt that he was not in full control of the situation he walked to the executive cafeteria, picked up a hot cappuccino and stood near the French window looking far out into the horizon drinking his coffee.

Rani walked up to him. She also picked up coffee and joined Surya.

“Can I join you for a coffee” She asked giving him a placating smile

“Of course you are welcome” He replied though he was not looking for company.

“What do you think about Shravan’s idea?” She asked

“Oh! Rani is not happy about Shravan getting an upper hand” he thought.

“Old man seems to be impressed by it” he replied non-commit tingly.

“But you were quiet and did not say anything” Rani replied. She wanted to judge Surya’s views.

“I heard this for the first time. I have not thought through the issues. May be it is a good idea and would work. May be it would fall flat” He replied, again not committing anything

Rani was feeling frustrated

“But Surya isn’t it against the vision of NUPS we all cherish? We are a scientific institution. Not a run-of-the mill college.” She said. The agitation in her mind was showing in her face and her gesticulations.  Her sari slipped a bit from the shoulder. With the low cut blouse she was wearing the cleavage was visible. Surya could not help noticing it; especially since she was about four inches taller than him. It was a pleasant distraction. His eyes remained there for  a few moments.

Suddenly she was aware of the gaze. Her hand itched to pull the sari back to its place. Then she decided against it. It is not a bad idea if he finds it interesting.

He moved his gaze away and their eyes met for a fleeting second. He realised that she saw his look and she knew that he knew.

“Oh let us see how it develops. If it succeeds it is good for us.” He replied

“If it fails, then what” She asked

“If it fails, then it would be a bad experiment” He replied.

Suddenly the position was clear in his mind.

“If it fails it is a bad expiring by Shravan supported by the Chairman. If it succeeds, he has to ensure that Shravan does not get too much of a mileage” He thought

“Rani is also not amused with Shravan. Let it continue like that. Some completion, rather insecurity, won’t do any bad. Though a brilliant professional she appears insecure too. She can be under my wings” His scheming mind was working fast

“Come on Rani. Don’t fret. You go ahead with what you are doing. I am sure that you would do great. I am there to give you all support” He told her.

“Smart cookie” She thought “Is he also extending a hand? May be he is the one to be developed as an ally at whatever cost”

“Let me go back to my room. I have some urgent papers to clear” Rani walked back along the corridor. She knew the view from her back was quite appealing. She gave it a more deliberate sway. She was aware of his gaze and she wasn’t at all perturbed.

***

To be continued

Chapter - 4

Few days after this discussion he met Surya Hari at a party. Surya was one of his old friends. He was the head of National University for Progressive Sciences.

“Hi Bishu, Now that you are out of government what are you going to do” Surya Hari asked.

His close friends called also him Bishu and he did not mind that.

“I am trying to figure out what I should do, I am toying with many ideas. Not yet taken a final call” Bishma replied

“If you are doing anything with education, count me in” Surya Hari offered

***

Surya Hari was born to an aristocratic family based in Northern Indraprasta. His great grandfather was a large landowner in Ravighat. His father Rajnarayan was the first person from his town to travel abroad for studies. Rajnarayan graduated in English literature. After completing his studies he had come back to Ravighat and took over his family business. He continued his family tradition of being actively involved in the affairs of the society.

The King Sangamitra of Indraprasta invited him to join as his advisor on international affairs. That gave him enormous clout in the society.  It also helped him to amass significant wealth.

In the meantime a wind of change was blowing across Indraprasta. A movement was slowly rising demanding an end to monarchy and introduction of democracy. Sangamitra knew he had to change with the times. He believed that the change has to be managed and the transition should be smooth. So he decided to set up a special cell to deliberate and decide on this demand from the citizens. Rajnarayan was head of this special cell.

The movement for democracy started to build momentum. Rajinder Sharma a well educated activist for democracy was gradually getting mass following. The populace called him Chacha and  he was becoming increasingly popular. King Sangamitra was also happy with him. He invited Chacha to join the Sepcial cell.  Rajnarayan was no excited about this. He knew that with the popular support chacha enjoyed, he would become the natural choice to lead the people’s government. He realised that the wave is building and there will be no stoppage. “It is time to change track” he concluded.

“General, the democracy movement is gaining huge support and the managed transition being considered by Sangamitra will not work” He said to General Pasha from the Indraprasta National Guards who was also a member of the Special Cell.

“I was thinking the same thing. He is placing too much trust on Chacha and he alone cannot guide a nationwide movement. We should discuss with the King and announce a definite timetable for the transition to a select group who are capable and would be acceptable to the citizens. Not only that they should be able to match up with the stature of the leaders of the other countries whose support and cooperation we need.” Pasha replied.

“My dear General, I am not sure whether King Sangamitra will agree to this. But do you think will be able to make him see the voice of reason” Raj asked.

“With the popularity of Chacha, he will naturally become the Prime Minister and all the powerful positions will be taken over by his buddies. As we were part of the old regime, we will be nobody in the new regime” Raj continued.

“So what do you suggest” General asked

“We need to work out a plan General. I will support you to become the head of the country and not head of national guards” Raj said enticingly to Pasha.

“OK. Let us work on this” He replied.

He got back home early that day.

“Rajani, prepare for a trip to Switzerland. Pack up enough for a long stay” He told his wife

Both of them were sitting at the veranda of his palatial bungalow. He could see his Dobermans playing in the lawn.

“Why this trip to Switzerland now? ”

“I need to have a medical check up” He replied

“What happened to you” She asked.

“Nothing. But that should be the reason we tell everybody.”

“You seem to be cooking something. Tell me what you are up to.”

“Shall let you know. For the time being do the preparations as per this plan”

She knew that there was no point in asking him any further.

He along with his family took a trip to Switzerland, apparently for a medical emergency.

About a week after he was in Switzerland Chacha was assassinated. The country burst in to violence. Raj based out of Switzerland declared to be a supporter of the uprising.

“We cannot stand a monarchy that kill innocent people because they descent. Chacha was personification of the aspirations of the people of Indraprasta” He declared in an interview to CNN from the comforts of the hotel in Switzerland.

“What did you say today in the TV Raj” Rajani asked him when he was back at the hotel.

“You heard me. Didn’t you” was the terse reply.

“King Sangamitra will not be behind this dastardly act” Rajani declared.

“My dear, you don’t understand real politic. You watch how things turn out. We need to be smart to achieve something of value” He was gloating

“Sangamitra always treated you like his own brother” Rajani said.

“That was good then. Not now. I will help my brother to meet his maker soon without worldly worries” He replied with a wicked smile

“But that is mean” Rajani was shocked.

“Only the mean and lean survive in this world honey. You get ready for being elevated soon” He walked back to his study. 

General Pasha led a coup and the king was dethroned and beheaded. Rajnarayan returned to Indraprasta to take charge of the budding democracy. General Pasha was declared the President and Rajnrayan the Prime Minister.

In the meantime Surya Hari who was 10 years old was admitted to a private school in Switzerland. After successfully completing his high school, he moved over to London.

Fate had its own course. Within few months the flight carrying General Pasha and Rajnarayan crashed in one of their trips.

Surya continued his education abroad. He graduated from London School of Economics and went onto do a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. This international exposure from childhood from the best of schools in the world, gave him a powerful network of friends spread all round the world.

After his graduation he took up an assignment with the World Bank. He worked as the executive assistant to the Director in charge of Public Policy desk focusing on developing countries. This gave him excellent opportunity to develop a deep understanding of issues in public policy. He was smart enough to identify people who could be of relevance to him eventually and kept his links active with them. He was a charming public speaker. With his flowery articulation and his creative ideas he could mesmerize any audience.

Having spent few years in US he returned to Indraprasta. He decided to build on the foundation of his father’s political base and connections which could complement his US education and international experience.

After returning to India, for a few years he worked as the advisor to the Minister of Education which gave him an opportunity to personally experience and understand the ways of the government and its officers.

He was quite short in stature. When he was in school, his height (rather lack of it) was always an element of ridicule. Being short and weak, he could never retort physically. So he honed his manipulative skills to take his revenge. To top it, unfortunately he had the looks of an alien which also meant that he was never one of the popular among his school mates; especially among girls. This underlying insecurity formed a hidden scar in his heart. As he grew up, in spite of the success he achieved in the professional life, this insecurity coupled with his feudal past manifested in his almost paranoid compulsion to suppress any dissent. But he never let this insecurity show. He could always present his manipulative actions triggered by this insecurity with clever logic and flowery articulation. Rather the manipulative skills and gift of the gab became the foundation on which he built his success. This master-manipulative nature earned him a pet name Shakuni. He had learned quite a few lessons on manipulation from his father who had managed the transition from being the advisor to the king to the leader of democracy without paying any price.

****

To be continued

Chapter 3 - Part 2

“As I told you I love children and I believe in the transformational power of the computers” He started.

She knew that being a thorough person he would build from the foundation.

“I have been toying with many ideas. From establishing a computer training institute to developing computer games”

“I thought about establishing a body that would conduct periodic competition for innovative software products that are developed by students” He continued.

His eyes had an intense look with his mind focusing on the idea that was evolving. As he was organising his thoughts his gaze was not directed specifically at anything or anybody; but appeared to be scanning something for out in the horizon.  He was again silent. She did not interrupt.

 “Now I have come to a specific idea. I plan to set up an organisation that builds educational tools for children.”

“So is it going to be a software development company?” Surabhi asked.

“ Oh! No. This company would develop a computer aided learning system that provided interactive visual and audio content to support, strengthen and complement the normal curriculum, made project works more exciting and strengthen the children’s computer literacy. It would make use of modern tools for collaboration and help unleash the hidden potential of these young minds.”

“OK” she acknowledged. She did not want to break his chain of thought. So she listened intently without making any comments.

“This is not to be just development of a software application or conversion of the regular school curriculum as a web-based presentation. It is meant to be an enabler; means to an end and not an end itself”.

“The organisation would have an exclusive development team that worked on course material, which included creative presentation of study material with innovative exercises, video and audio content that were specially developed with examples from the culture and background of various parts of Indraprasta.”

“We will continuously develop new modules which contain updates that reflect new developments in the world around. It would make use of the newer technologies and tools that are evolving, to strengthen the delivery and make the user interface and interaction more exciting for the children.”

“This sounds interesting” Surabhi quipped

“There would be a central site from which each of the subscribing school could access and update new modules. It would also provide for tutorial support to the students and the teachers so that they could use the system in a more effective fashion.”

“But where is the money honey” She asked laughingly. “Are you going to go around with a begging bowl for government aids and multilateral aid? Then you know what will happen. The same bureaucratic lethargy will determine your cash flow which in turn will determine the progress of your project”

“Don’t you know I am well aware of what my friends can do to this project if the lever is in their hand” Bhishu responded with a wide grin.

“I am going to set up a profit making entity. The initial development will be from the owner’s equity. The service is going to be priced and not a charity supported by donors. The surplus that my company makes will help me to make this service available to the poorer segment of the society” He explained.

“By the way, what are your naming your company as” Surabi asked.

“How about Surabhi Enterprise” He asked with a wink

“I know you are not that crazy” She replied.

“I will call it Indraprasta Educational  Solutions  (IES)”

“Getting out from ICS to set up IES?”

Both of them laughed.

“Come we let us go and sleep over this” She said

****

To be continued

Chapter 3 - Part 1

It was a Sunday morning.  Bhishma was sitting on the couch in his sitting room with a coffee in his hand. Surabhi, his wife, walked in. She noticed that her husband’s handsome face looked relaxed and at ease. This was a welcome change from the “lost-in-thought” looks that she often saw in the recent past.

She knew Bhishu was not at all happy with the way things were at the Ministry of Education where he was posted. The new Secretary often had some private agenda to be pushed which Bhishu could not agree with. Bhishu’s priorities were what was right and not what was convenient.

Surabhi and Bhishma  have been married for about 20 years. Soon after Bhishma cleared his ICS exam he had met Surabhi at a friend’s party. Surabhi had just joined Intercontinental Bank as an officer after she graduated from one of the top Management Schools in Indraprasta.

Both of them had pursued their careers giving each other space to grow, They were good friends and could act as sounding board for each other. Bhishu was quite athletic and enjoyed outdoor. Surabhi was artistic, loved to read books and poetry. And they respected each other for their strength.

Now that both of them were quite senior they were posted in the capital and could live together as a family unlike in the early part of the career when both were often posted at different towns and even different countries.

Surabhi knew it was better to leave Bhishu alone when he is trying to solve a problem. She knew that he would discuss with her when he was ready. But she was concerned as Bhishu was put under pressure by the secretary of the department ever since he took charge about a year ago. The secretary was not keen to have the clean and transparent administration Bhishu was running. He was often in the company of people like Ramanujam and was not averse to helping then even if it was out of place and propriety.

Looking at the face of Bhishu she realised that he was ready to talk.

“It is nice to see you relaxed and at ease. Looks like you have made up your mind.” Surabhi commented as she sat next to him.

Bhishu gave her his characteristic smile with his eyelids crinkled to a twinkle.

“So what is the verdict Bhishu” She asked

“I have decided to move on. I am quitting civil service” Bhishu replied

“I had an interesting career as a civil servant. I could achieve many things for the betterment of the society. I could survive without selling my soul. But increasingly I realize that I spent more time in playing chess with the system than doing any productive work” Bhishu proceeded.

“Now that you are senior, the stakes associated with the initiatives that you take are much larger. This means that there would be many interested parties who want to exploit or who want to hide.  You are not willing to pay ball with such scoundrels. So naturally there would be resistance”  Surabhi responded.

“It is true. So I decided to get out and do something myself” Bhishu declared

His face look determined and his eyes were confident.

Surabhi was happy. She knew with Bhihu’s intelligence and drive he could build something big and meaningful.

“Yes it is a good idea. As I am working and the children are already in grad school we can afford to take this plunge. We can stay in my staff quarter” Surabhi remarked

“What are your thoughts about the venture you would like to consider” She asked

“I am toying in my mind many ideas. I love children and I would love to do something for and with them.”

“Of course I know you love children. If you could have your way you would have had a dozen at home” Surabhi quipped with a naughty smile.

He responded with his charming smile and a wink.

“I believe in high technology. I am convinced that I want to work with both; children and high technology, in some unique way that would make a difference to the children of Indraprasta.”

 “This is one of the most critical needs for the country. It could make hell of a lot of difference to the growth of the country and provide opportunities for the children to grow up to face the challenges of the day ahead.”

“Exposing the young mind to the powers of information technology would help Indraprasta to excel in a world in which Indraprasta was considered a laggard.”

He seemed to have honed on to the sector he wants to be in. Surabhi mused. Surabhi being a banker could see the future potential of Bhishus’ dreams

“These are just some loose thoughts. Let me think about it. In the meantime I am putting in my papers today. I would be released in three months”

“I would place a request in my office that I would now want to avail of staff quarter so that we could be ready by the time you have to move out” Surabhi’s mind was in motion for the change in their life.

***

“Surabhi come over to the Balcony. I will join you in a minute with some coffee. I have prepared your special filter coffee” Bhishu called out to Surabhi.
It was about 10 pm in the night. She was in the study reading a novel. From the tone of Bhishu’s voice she realised that he had something serious to talk about.

She took a shawl to wrap around. It would be chilly out there in the balcony. As Bhishu was a senior civil servant they had a flat up at the 20^th floor near the sea. That was one of the perks of working with the government.

When she walked over to the spacious balcony he was still not there. She stood at the doorway of the balcony looking into the sitting room. She liked what she saw. The sitting room in the dim light was elegant as always. It was her decoration. She had taste and she liked to indulge in decorating her home. Bhishu encouraged her; but never interfered. He knew that it was not his forte.

The sitting room had an elegant leather sofa set with on one side.  On the other side there was a diwan that had a black cover with white designs which gave a gentle contrast to the sofa. There was beautiful Persian carpet at the center on which stood a coffee table. At the far corner  a few of her priced bonzai trees were arranged with an arch light at the top high-lighting them. Bonzai collection was something that she had nurtured over the years as a serious hobby. She had a large collection out in the balcony which she rotated in and out periodically. This helped to give a different look to the room.

Beyond the sitting area was the dining area and beyond that the kitchen.
She saw him coming out of the kitchen with two coffee mugs in his hand. He was wearing a denim shorts and a polo T shirt. The dining area was in semi darkness as the only light was in the sitting area. That too the spot light above the bonzi collection. In that dimly lit background his body looked as if it was carved out of marble. There was no trace of fat in his well exercised body. Even after 20 years of marriage he still brought a gasp in her.

As he came near her, she reached across and give him a kiss on his cheek. 

“You seem to be ready for a long talk honey” Surabhi said.

“Not a long talk; but a long discussion” He replied.

“First let us sit down and enjoy our coffee.” Bishu said and extended her the cup.

They sat down on the cane chairs and started sipping their coffee. Bhishu appeared to be organising his thought. Surabhi was in no hurry. She knew that being a meticulous and organised person he will take few minutes to start. Then the thoughts will flow with such logic and clarity to leave no doubt in your mind about his line of thinking.

There was nip in the air and she covered her shoulders and head with the shawl. But the cool wet air from the sea on the face was refreshing.

Bhishu appeared un-perturbed by the chill. Surabhi sat gazing at the beachfront. The road along the seafront still was crowded and active. Many a car parked along the road. From up here in the 20^th floor the cars looked  like the toy car collection of her son. The people moving around in the beach appeared almost ant like. Beyond that the sea. With the full moon she could still see the the waves reaching over, with its silvery hands ,the sandy beach as if attempting a deep embrace. She was transfixed by  the sheer magnificance of this view.

“I have been thinking about what I should do after I am out next month. Eventually an idea has started to evolve in my mind. I want to brainstorm a bit with you so that we can refine it” he said suddently. She was startled as she was completely engrossed in the scenic beauty around her.

“Ok Go on. I knew you would have honed something good soon. Now share your secret”

To be continued